Justice Secretary visits housing scheme in London
26 Jun 2014 01:01 PM
Justice Secretary Chris
Grayling opens a supported housing scheme helping Muslim offenders in London
turn their backs on crime.
Chris Grayling outlined the
urgent need to bring down high reoffending rates through greater support for
prison leavers.
The Date Palm Project will work
to rehabilitate offenders by mentoring them in the months before they leave
custody, preparing them for life in the community.
On release they will be housed
in an environment focused on their rehabilitation and resettlement, and given
help into training, education or employment through businesses working with the
scheme.
Currently almost 60 per cent of
those released from short prison sentences go back to crime within a year of
release. And this group get no statutory support on release. To tackle this
unacceptable problem, the Government is introducing crucial reforms that will
see all offenders given at least 12 months’ supervision in the community.
There will also be a much greater role for private and voluntary organisations,
which will bring a fresh approach to reducing reoffending and protecting the
public
Click Here for
Video
Chris Grayling
said:
For too long prisoners have been
released back onto the streets with £46 in their pockets and little else,
in the hope they will sort themselves out — it’s no wonder things
haven’t improved.
Offenders need more targeted
through-the-gate support, so work towards rehabilitation begins inside prison,
and continues into the community.
Our reforms to rehabilitation
will see a far greater role for private and voluntary sector organisations, who
can use innovative schemes like mentoring to turn offenders’ lives
around. The Date Palm Project is an excellent example of this and I want to see
much more of this type of approach.
The project is funded by a
charity called the Better Community Business Network (BCBN).
Project Director Sabah Gilani
said:
Due to the stigma of
imprisonment, many young offenders do not keep in touch with their families or
have the correct support following their release. Their vulnerability,
susceptibility to negative influence and pressure to reintegrate quickly can
lead to frustration, discontentment and most worryingly,
reoffending.
This project will be crucial in
helping many individuals get their lives back on track, reducing crime and
improving our communities.
Project partner St Mungo’s
Broadway’s Chief Executive Howard Sinclair said:
This project will be a template
for future housing where young men can start to rebuild their lives after
prison, and find new ways to work and live. Inspiring and innovative are often
overused words but not in this case. We look forward to building up the service
over the months and years ahead.
Notes to
editors:
- For more information on BCBN
visit www.bcbn.org.uk
- For information on the
Government’s reforms to rehabilitation visitwww.justice.gov.uk/transformingrehabilitation